There Is a Swag & Confidence to Neal Brown He Is Walking Around With This Year | Ari Temkin

[Music] Ari tempin Big 12 radio tune in radio Ari we had you on a couple of weeks ago we saw you at Big 12 media days in Vegas and this was kind of something that you knew was coming but again that unknown the announcement this week how how nice is it just to get that TuneIn news out to everybody to find you again I apologize Smokey something was wrong with my speaker so I didn't just hear uh the first question there so I I hear you now I heard the end of that so I I got to throw it back to you for a second no no that's fine man uh what's it like to be able to finally know and everybody else knows where to find you because of the announcement with TuneIn Radio yeah it's it's awesome um and look I mean you know it what we're seeing right now you know across mainstream media is you know everybody's running towards the SEC and and so everybody's running away from the Big 12 um including SiriusXM so you know th this opportunity is huge because TuneIn Radio and TuneIn doesn't have any Live Sports Programming currently live talk shows this is the first live talk show that TuneIn has produced and created and so as opposed to being kind of a big fish in a small pond at Sirius we're Big Fish you know in a in a big pond at tune in and we've got a lot of you know access at our disposable working head you know head on with the conference um so it's huge it's a great opportunity I'm super excited about it and you know the Big 12 needs this platform it needs your platform it needs as many platforms as it can get because you know you turn on ESPN you turn on some of the main channels and you know you're you have an issue getting coverage of the Big 12 and you've got an issue having coverage that doesn't say hey well I want to see 12 SEC teams or six SEC teams and six big 10 teams in the college football playoffs so you know representation for our conference is not what it was and we need to fight for it to continue to be what it needs to be and it's a perception thing perception matter there's a ton of this sport guys mhm well uh I mean Ari I mean they they've earned it and I've said this a lot I mean the SEC has earned it by winning national titles but part of this was just a marketing plan that's worked out really well for them as well and the other conferences were very slow to it and now they're they're all playing catchup yeah I mean you're you're you're absolutely right Paul I mean like there's a reason it's probably smart business for ESPN and for sirusxm for all these platforms to be running towards the SEC right like that makes sense um and and you're right I mean from a marketing standpoint now it's on Brett yourm Mark and the Big 12 to sort of spin it in a positive way like I think guys this game on Saturday with West Virginia and Penn State like I hate how big of a deal it is because it's week one and you're not even close to the the version of yourself you want to be towards the end of the year but this game is so important you know this is very much a perception issue guys and we're going to be fighting it all year and if we don't you know if Baylor loses to Texas State again or if the Big 12 has these brutal losses to the m conference again the Big 12 lost three conference games to the ma conference it wasn't just it wasn't just Bale losing to Texas State guys it was you know it was South Alabama beating South Alabama beating Oklahoma State I mean there was just a a insane amount of bad losses for the conference that like not only does the conference need West Virginia to beat Penn State on Saturday it needs Oklahoma State to beat Arkansas week two it needs all of these games to go the way that that you know positively and then obviously the Big 12 needs to take care of business against the teams it needs to take care of business against which it did not do last year yeah Ari I think all of the like the big picture questions for Big 12 fans like the simplest answer that I've tried to give just win win games like that's the that's the most straightforward thing that you can possibly do is is Win games beat teams that are better than you and and stack those wins and so I I'm completely on board with you there this this West Virginia off season you just feel like man there is a belief there there is a confidence there it's such a departure for from what it was a year ago what do you think about this matchup with Penn State and uh especially being in Morgantown like that just adds a little extra layer of spice to everything uh what are your thoughts on on this one we actually recorded an interview with Neil Brown that we'll play on Friday um so make sure to people download the TuneIn app and check out Big 12 radio just download tune in and then search Big 12 radio favorite it and check us out 7:00 to 10 a.m. every morning um and it's funny I started off the interview by like you have a lot more swag Neil like you you know it seems like big 12 media days last year year when he were picked last of the conference like he showed up and guns blazing and it it carried over he was on I'm sure you saw the clip of him on Marty McGee talking about that ESPN top 100 list that didn't include anybody from West Virginia which is absurd they won nine games last year have a returning quarterback who's one of the most underrated quarterbacks in college football and a you know a left tackle and while milum is gonna be a first or second round pick it's absurd to not have any ESPN top 100 guy so you know for me there is I think you just very correct very correctly pointed out like there is a swag and a confidence to Neil Brown that we haven't seen yet as long as he's been the head coach at West Virginia and I do think that is he feels like he's got a roster that he's that he can be confident about um you know they won nine games last year and lost one to Houston that they should have won but Garrett green threw a touchdown pass on fourth down as time was winding down that you know he was super excited celebrating he chucked his helmet on the ground which allowed to get in position to kick a game-winning field goal like that's that's a fixable thing for a guy like Garrett green that's shown over the course of his career his ability to learn and evolve as a quarterback some guys don't show that ability I think gck green has I picked West Virginia to win the Big 12 the biggest reason against that for me right now is their schedule their schedule is brutal like take out the non-conference even just their conference schedule every team that's picked towards the top of this conference they have to play so it's a really difficult schedule save for the fact that they start off with Penn State and still have you know two power fives within their non-conference out of three games so they have a brutally tough schedule but I just I love Garrett green I think again his Evolution um you know I think they've got the weapons they've got the offensive line you know even with the secondary where they've lost some guys they replaced them they they brought in tons of numbers in the transfer portal like they just threw numbers at their cornerback and safety and I think they've solved that um I I to me it's just all these things have finally come together and then you hear kind of the the offseason talk where you know things started to come out about you know H how much the the group is together and there's no you know uh energy vampires was one of the words that was used you know where they had talented players but was everybody pulling on the same you on the same rope guys we know as as we've covered this and Smokey you know this is better than anybody you've covered teams like this like it that stuff matters that stuff matters a ton um so I mean that's why I picked West Virginia to win this league and look I think they're gonna beat Penn State um and I think Vegas is telling us that too um because that when that line came out in the you know in the middle of the summer it was a two touchdown line and Savvy gamblers had bet that thing down to eight now um I still think that's too much I'd still grab West Virginia plus eight at home uh I just the the the biggest thing and I I asked Al Brown about this Andy codal Nikki the the very talented former Kansas offensive coordinator now takes over at Penn State he runs an offense that is very much antithetical to what we've seen with with with the Franklin teams with the James Franklin teams you know so what will they be will they are they going to be more conservative or are they going to be more of what we saw with Kansas and codal Nikki that remains to be seen But on paper I really like this match up for West Virginia well one thing that um remains to be seen with that offense in Penn State with cot Nikki is that look he had Jaylen Daniels and Jason Bean both guys who are super mobile I don't think that you would you would put Drew Aller in that category so where does that like Factor come from and he probably has similar running backs and a similar offensive line but I'm not like I I think it's going to look a lot different than the the Kansas offense just based on the personality they have yeah it's a great point about the quarterback and look cotal Nikki you know when you look at the offenses he ran at Buffalo like did he always have players like bean and Daniels no to me it's so much of it as the window dressing it's the pre-nap stuff and then and then it's how they get their running game involved even if you don't have a quarterback that's a weapon you know that just made Kansas almost unguardable at times because because it's like a triple option type attack and you don't know where it's coming from so I think I think we'll see some of that some of those principles but it'll probably be more reliant on two running backs and it will be on an Aller at quarterback um and with that being said though it it it to me is such a departure from James Franklin and you know Franklin again just super conservative you know it's it's Pound The Rock Pound The Rock take a few chances down the field Pound The Rock Pound The Rock take a so I'm just very curious to see like this to me it's like it's like going from a hot tub you know into a cold tub back and forth really like it's gonna make you dizzy trying to see like who wins here the cotal Nikki offense or James Franklin how much do you think Oklahoma state is uh prepared to you know not have you know this the big upset in week number one I mean I think everybody if you focus on on being the best he possibly can be but just a little extra something playing at South Dakota State like it just seems like they're going to be a little bit more Focus coming right out of the gates do you expect that yeah and I think Colorado with North Dakota State there's there's some games here on the for the first week that maybe stand out from the standpoint of are these teams overlooking the opposition you know I think in the case of Colorado everybody's TR it that hey North Dakota State's number two in the nation preseason FCS they obviously have an incredible program so to South Dakota State I mean I think those two represented uh two of the final four teams in last year's FCS National you know final four um but so much of that I think like so much of FCS success against the FBS historically has been like teams getting overlooked and I just don't think that's gonna be the case for either Colorado or Oklahoma State now with Oklahoma State you do have Arkansas looming week two Arkansas this isn't you know it's not a great AR team it's certainly a beatable Arkansas Team um but you know they they could have that on their minds looming you know I picked Oklahoma State to win the conference last year I'm I'm not as confident this year in them because it just feels like when expectations are this high things don't go their way but with that being said like on paper they return everybody from a team that was really really good last year you think alen Bowman will take a major step forward you know Ali Gordon continues you know can he continue to be the best running back of the country you know their defense last year was so weird because sta ically it looked like one of the worst defenses in college football um but it wasn't it wasn't that bad they were they were opportunistic they turned teams over at times so like the stats don't totally show out for Oklahoma State but it just seems like you know TCU two years ago everything went their way in the category of turnover margin and winning close games which are things that tend to even out year-over-year and it just feels like there's are some things that Oklahoma State could even out but look don't bet against Mike Gundy it's he was a big reason I picked them to win the conference last year despite there being no like literal reasons to pick them it was a stupid pick but I just went with Mike Gundy and and so so you know I went with Mike Gundy and so you know don't bet against him and you know again everybody's back and they've got a you know a 26- year old quarterback I mean alen Bowman's older than CJ Stroud so there's that there is that I love what you said older than me okay all right now you're pushing it Paul there you go with that hate you hate him he's pretty but I like what said there's like there was no real reason for me to pick them I just you know I felt it like you're absolutely right though it was it was brilliant though like and if it wasn't for one of the best teams Texas has had in a decade they would had a chance to win the damn game yeah and I mean it looked really stupid after they started one and two and they were rotating quarterbacks I never I said that on the I was like if I would have known Gundy was gonna be rotating three quarterbacks the first three weeks I would have never picked them yeah like why didn't he tell you that Ari uh we have been pretty obvious to our thoughts and opinion about Yukon and that story that was popping earlier this week and still out there I mean I just like why and I understand you you kind of trust a Brett yourm Mark but I've been told many times that this might be the the thing that he just needs to let go and he doesn't have the support I don't know how that's going to go what were your thoughts on where this might go yeah and and we're gonna have Brett yorar on tune in tomorrow at 8 o'clock in the morning um and we're gonna ask him about it it you know it's obvious in reading the tea leaves and talking in Smokey I know you're you know you're well connected you're talking to the right people and and you know you hear kind of the same thing there's just not enough votes for it right now uh in 2024 Ukon of the Big 12 makes zero sense to me in 2030 or 2029 or 2031 it makes a lot more sense and not just from the football standpoint but here here's the ultimate piece to the the realignment puzzle here what's gonna happen with the ACC I am not adding anybody if I'm the if I'm the big 12 until I see all the dust set with the ACC now your mark may say look that that doesn't matter we can still add ACC teams if the whole thing implodes but I'm I just I'm not at that I'm not at that point yet there there is no market for Yukon right now so who are you negotiating against there's no market for Gonzaga right now so who are you negotiating against I love the idea of unbundling basketball and creating sort of a mini NBA where you've got different divisions across the country and I mean as long as you can keep some of these you know Baylor Kansas games and and you know Houston Baylor Houston like I I still want to keep some of those traditional games that I hope wouldn't go away but I get it and look Yukon as good as they've been in men men's basketball that's a better historical women's program and you're adding you know the probably the biggest name or one of the biggest names in women's college basketball back into the conference in Gino arama so like that makes sense but none of this makes sense from a dollar and stent standpoint in 2024 and I think that's where the push back comes from guys you know football like I Kansas football turned around on a dime with the right coach I don't think jamura is the right coach for Yukon but those things can change now if you're Yukon you probably got to build a stadium on campus because they play in East Rutherford which is I think 25 miles from from where the campus is located so like that's a no-go but for me like Florida State and Clemson are suing the ACC that that is a ticking Time Bomb so I'm waiting that thing out to see what the residuals are and then I'm deciding on okay is basketball the play here because none of this matters from a a revenue standpoint until the the deal is up in 2031 which by the way the ACC deal is still not up in 2031 yeah and Ari like in seven years like you mentioned turnar around a dime in seven years the football program is not going to be more valuable now maybe in those seven years they could make basketball something different but yeah it just doesn't seem like the juice is worth to squeeze at all here right now I mean guys I went to Kansas you know when realignment was was first I mean when when Texas and U left and everybody in the Big 12 was trying to figure out where their Landing spots were it was clear that Kansas was not an option for the SEC or the Big 10 because basketball doesn't matter and there's there's there there are very few more historical basketball programs that make more money than Kansas basketball it's like Kansas and Kentucky in terms of the money that they generate like up until recently Kansas basketball was outpacing revenue from football there's no other programs where that's the case I mean even Baylor who's won a national Championship obviously it has an unbelievable amount of success their football program is still going to bring in way more money so like if Kansas and their basketball program wasn't enough to get them into another conference there's no basketball program on Earth that's worth that that is the reality of the situation football is driving the first bus they're driving the second bus they're driving the third bus if if football is if if College athletics are $10 football is eight and a half of those dollars basketball might be a dollar it might be 50 cents and the rest of it might be 50 cents it's a great way to put it I didn't think about that with KU and and and their value and if no one's really you know you've heard some things about other conferences but yeah it just does this time invested in football Smokey yeah no I get it yeah the full investment in football to make them more attractive absolutely need yeah it it it just doesn't make sense but it I remember back uh when Colorado had just decided to join and we knew the others were going to be a part of it or thought we did with the Arizona State Arizona and Utah and and I I had an administrator tell me that Brett's got all this uh Equity built up because of what he's done for the conference why is he putting his neck on what will be a lost vote at least that was the case about a year ago yeah and and I I think quite frankly in knowing y Mark a little bit it's because he's gonna always push oh yeah there there is no sit and weight there's no neutral man this dude is to steal a Steve sarkeesian line all gas no breaks constantly he doesn't sleep he does meetings at 10:00 at night on a Sunday with his with his executive team and then he's up at two o'clock in the morning working out I mean he the guy is a maniac he doesn't stop and there's nothing that's going to stop him from trying to get the big 12 up to the level that he thinks it should be at and we're all Lucky for it yep no question man I'm happy for you uh congratulations knew it work out and I know there might have been a regularly I feel like no yeah are you uh we we we want to help like get people to know what you're doing and a lot of people did and they will quickly with tun in we need to get you more involved in what we do too we also would like to draft off your success as well I mean like you know you guys are the best I mean look we we go way back right I mean we go way back to oard and you know way way back before SI of 365 when when you guys were at that radio station so you know you know how I feel about you guys you guys are incredible I'm so I'm it's funny when I was texting with you guys about this you know I said basically like TuneIn became theum 365 you know in the exact same situation where it's like all right we're Cut Loose what are we going to do and luckily there's a great landing spot and quite frankly a better landing spot so um you know look we we're just trying to get people you know download the app come come listen to what we're doing um we're just trying to grow this thing and and obviously the more content for our conference the better it's going to be because there's not there's not a ton of conference I reached out to you know to 247 to Rivals about writing about the Big 12 for them and they're like we're not really interested in Big 12 content right now like that's just that's the way it's going that's the way it's going guys well uh sometimes when you write a book about success you think about those who had a chance to enjoy your success that maybe didn't feel like it was there and then that that's put that okay thank you y all right thanks buddy congratulations good luck with that interview with your mark send it to me and we'll we'll we'll put put a couple of minutes up if you don't mind if we can do that with the copyright yeah I would love that yep absolutely I appreciate that very much guys take care and we'll talk again soon happy football football start tomorrow night guys AB absolutely it's great that it's just completely different we finally have games to think about and also games we've discussed Ari tempkin Big 12 radio on TuneIn Radio